Gaming Guru

The inner charms of Texas Hold'em

Dear Mark,
I’m new to poker, so please excuse the two somewhat similar Hold’em
questions. When two people both make a flush, and the highest card is shared,
is the pot split, or is the tie broken by the second highest card in each flush?
Also, if two players have a straight using the same five cards, again, is the
pot split, or do you use a sixth kicker card to determine the eventual winner?
Ellie N.

Let’s do basics first, Ellie, then I’ll give you a simple little
rule to remember.

A flush is a hand in which all five cards are of the same suit. A straight
is a hand composed of five cards of consecutive rank. Example: An A-2-3-4-5
is a five high straight (an ace can count as high or low), or a straight to
the five. An 8-9-T-J-Q is a queen high straight, or a straight to the queen.

Now, Ellie, commit to memory the Five Card Rule: Every player's final hand
is made up of five cards and five cards only. The remaining two cards in Texas
Hold’em mean diddly squat.

As to your flush question, you compare the hands card-by-card in order to determine
the winner. Therefore, an A-Q-10-7-5 of spades is more valuable than an A-Q-10-7-4
of spades. By sizing up these two flush hands, you will note that the hand with
the highest card not shared, which in this case is the fifth card, the five,
becomes the winning hand.

Of course, Ellie, the second card could determine the winner, a jack in one
hand versus the queen, or the third card and so on. Only in the case where the
players have exactly the same flush in different suits, or where two or more
players benefit from all five cards on the board being of the same suit would
there be a tie, and the pot would be divvied up accordingly.

As for straights, the straight to the higher card wins. After your card-by-card
comparison of your straights, and the hands are dead equal or all five cards
are shared, you split the pot.

Regarding the kicker, the highest unpaired card in your hand; it never participates
in five card hands like straights, flushes and full houses.

Dear Mark,
Are the odds of hitting, for instance, a straight flush on a Triple Play video
poker machine different from that of when playing on a single-hand machine? Cindy
B

Playing any three, five, 10, 50 or even a 100-Play video poker machine does
not change the arithmetic. Each and every hand has its own deck, and the odds
of completing a straight flush are exactly the same, except that, when you play
a multiple play machine, you just happen to have more chances of it’s occurring.

As for playing strategy, Cindy, play all multiple play games as you would play
regular video poker. More chances at winning combinations does not mean you
should wander from correct play.

Dear Mark,
Could you please give an example of the blinds in Texas Hold’em? I am confused
as to how much they cost the players that are forced to pay them. Manuel D.

In Texas Hold’em, a blind bet, or blind, is a forced wager that must be
posted by two players before anybody gets a peek at their cards. Blinds are
an alternative to antes for initially getting money in the pot. A "big
blind" and "little blind" are the terms used to refer to the
players who post these bets.

These compulsory wagers that the first two players to the dealer’s left
are required to pay play out like this. The little blind, the first player to
the dealer's left, pays half the low limit. Say for instance in a $10/$20 game,
the little blind’s initial contribution would be $5. The big blind, second
player to the dealer's left, would stake the low limit, or $10 in the $10/$20
game.

Gambling Wisdom of the Week: Hold'em is a game of calculated aggression:
If your cards are good enough for you to call a bet, they are good enough to
raise with. -- Alfred Alvarez

As a recognized authority on casino gambling, Mark Pilarski survived 18 years in the casino trenches, working for seven different casinos. Mark now writes a nationally syndicated gambling column, is a university lecturer, author, reviewer and contributing editor for numerous gaming periodicals, and is the creator of the best-selling, award-winning audiocassette series on casino gambling, Hooked on Winning.

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Mark Pilarski

As a recognized authority on casino gambling, Mark Pilarski survived 18 years in the casino trenches, working for seven different casinos. Mark now writes a nationally syndicated gambling column, is a university lecturer, author, reviewer and contributing editor for numerous gaming periodicals, and is the creator of the best-selling, award-winning audiocassette series on casino gambling, Hooked on Winning.

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